Aspirator and control therefor



June 23, 1970 JQ H. HOPPER 3,516,405

ASPIRATOR AND CONTROL THEREFOR Filed June 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGZ4 ,5} 50 /Z 22 20 /a 1 Ii i4;

M I I v '5 BY 7M4 ATTORNEY J. H. HOPPER ASPIRATOR AND CONTROL THEREFORJune 23, 1970 3,516,405

Filed June 20, 1967 PRESSURE SOURCE /02 T I04 W 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UnitedStates Patent 3,516,405 ASPIRATOR AND CONTROL THEREFOR James H. Hopper,Hazardville, Conn., assignor to United Aircraft Corporation, EastHartford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 20, 1967, Ser. No.647,410 Int. Cl. A61m N00 US. Cl. 128-276 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A flexible tube having one end adapted to receive a catheterto be inserted into a patient for removal of fluids and the other endconnected to a container is discretely mounted on a handle containingthe pumping controls. Flow lines to a pressure source and an aspiratorare connected to a valve mounted in the handle and a retractable triggermember operatively connected to the handle allows an operator toconveniently operate the aspirator. Another valve mounted in the handlewith a releaseably mounted plunger valve connects a water line to thetube for purging the tube as desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an aspirator pumpand more particularly to means for conveniently effectuating controlthereof. While aspirators and suction pumps have been employed forremoval of body fluids such as pus, gastric fluids, etc., the heretoforetypes have been cumbersome to operate and not completely portable. Forexample, when used for pumping out the fluids in a patients stomach,such heretofore known devices have normally required the assistance oftwo operators. The catheter which is orally inserted into the patientwas usually held by one of the operators while the other operator would,by some manual control, turn on and off the power source. The fluid inthe stomach passing through the catheter and tube is extremely viscousnecessitating the frequent removal for soaking it in a container ofwater to clean out the lines. I have obviated these problems by mountingthe controls in a gun-like control handle whereby a single operator caneffectively effectuate pumping of ones stomach. The control handlecarries a trigger-like member which operates a releasably mounted valvewhich not only turns on the power source to the aspirator but alsoallows the operator to modulate the valve so as to control the rate ofemission from the stomach. A second valve mounted on the handle permitswater to pass from the tube to the collection bottle for purging thesame. In this arrangement the water is only turned on when the aspiratoris connected to the power source, thus removing the possibility ofhaving water enter into the catheter and patients stomach. The unit canbe carried on a movable table or cart which may also contain the powersource which is generally a bottle of pressurized oxygen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is toprovide an improved aspirator and control therefor.

In accordance with the present invention, a releasably mounted handlecontrols a valve for connecting the power source to the aspirator andmay modulate the flow thereto.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a depressiblevalve which connects the pumping tube to water for purging the same.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in perspectiveillustrating the overall configuration of this apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a view partly in schematic and partly in section illustratingthe details of this invention; and

FIG. 3 is an elevated view partly in section illustrating the purgingfeature of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to FIGS. 1and 2 showing the aspirator and control handle adapted to be carried ona movable cart. The unit is carried by a sheet metal or plastic platformgenerally illustrated by numeral 10 having suitably mounted theretoaspirator 12 and upstanding thong members 14 adapted to receive asuitable fludi receiving container 16. A suitable tight fitting cap 18fits over the top of a container and carries openings for receivingpipes 20 and 22. Pipe 20 is connected to a flexible tube 24 having itsopposite end fitted into handle 26. Flexible tube 28 is connected topipe member 22 and is suitably connected to aspirator 12 by theconnector 30. Flexible tube 32 suitably joined to the handle byconnector 34 and joined to the aspirator by connector 36 and flexibletube 38 suitably connected to the handle 26 and the power source, notshown, constitute the major parts of this apparatus. The catheter 40connects to the pumping tube 24 by a straight-through connector 42.

As can best be seen by FIG. 2, the pumping tube 24 snugly fits into achannel formed in the handle. Valve 46 snugly fits into bore 48 formedin the handle and carries plunger 50 adapted to engage the inner surface52 of trigger 56. Trigger 56 is substantially an elongated channelmember which in cross section is U-shaped and is pivotably mounted tohandle 26 by a suitable pivot member 60. Valve 46 carries a pair ofannular spaced lands 62 and 64 defining therebetween an annular recessedportion 66. Grooves adjacent the annular lands 64 and 62 are adapted toreceive O-rings 68 and 70. A spring 72 mounted at one end of valve 46urges the valve in the position shown in FIG. 2 noting that the width ofland 64 is sufliciently wide to block the opening formed by drillpassage 74. The valve is prevented from moving further outwardly by apair of pins 78 and 80. A second drilled passage 82 communicates withthe annular space 66 and tube 32 which is suitably connected thereto bythe connector 34. A similar connector 88 connects tube 38 with thepressurized source, shown in schematic as a blank box 90 which may be anoxygen bottle. Depression of trigger 56 causes the plunger 50 to movethe valve 46 in opposition to spring 72 which moves land 64 away fromopening formed at the end of the drill connection 74. This communicatespassages 74 and 72 and the annular section 66. In this manner thepressure source 90 is connected directly to the aspirator 12. When thisoccurs, high pressure fluid passing through the orifice 98, restriction99 and into ambient serves to suck out the air in the container throughline 24 for creating a vacuum therein. This essentially causes flowthrough tube 24 and the catheter 40 for removing the fluid in thepatients cavity. Modulation of the flow can be efl'ectuated by thediscrete positioning of land 64 relative to the orifice adjacent theretoformed at the end of drilled passage 74.

Line 100 suitably connected to a water source, as shown in FIG. 3, isused to purge the pumping line 24 and is placed in operation bydepressing spring loaded valve 102 to open drilled line 104 which isconnected to tube 24 by the T-connector 106. It will be appreciated thatwater can only be injected into the system when both trigger 56 andplunger 102 are depresed. Water then is sucked into line 24 from theT-connection 106 through the container 16 obviating the necessity ofdunking the entire unit into water.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments shown and described herein, but that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spiritor scope of this novel concept.

I claim:

1. Medical apparatus including a handle for a jet pump adapted toevacuate a container for sucking fluid therein, comprising incombination a releasably mounted trigger on said handle,

fluid connection means from a source of pressurized fluid to the jetpump,

valve means in said handle engaging said trigger and normally blocking01f flow of said pressurized fluid but connecting said jet pump and saidsource upon depression of said trigger,

a flexible suction tube connected to said handle communicating with saidcontainer, and

purging means on said handle communicating said flexible tube with asource of cleaning fluid.

2. Medical apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said purging meansincludes a cleaning fluid flow passage, a valve mounted in said handleand communicating with said cleaning fluid flow passage, and operablemeans connected to said valve external of said handle adapted to beengaged by the operator thereof.

3. Medical apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said purging meansincludes a flexible purging tube connected to said valve means, saidvalve means normally in a closed position and adapted to communicatesaid flexible suction tube with said flexible purging tube to leadcleansing fluid through said suction tube commencing from said handle tosaid container.

4. Medical apparatus for pumping the stomach of a patient including ajet pump adapted to evacuate a container for sucking into and collectingof the pumped contents,

a handle,

a tube supported in said handle having one end adapted to connect to apumping catheter and the other end connected to the container,

a releasably mounted trigger on said handle,

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valve means in said handle engaging said trigger and normally blockingofl flow of said pressurized fluid but connecting said jet pump and saidsource upon depression of said trigger such that stomach contents areevacuated into the container through said tube and by passing said fluidconnection means,

said tube and said fluid connection means being separately disposedrelative to each other such that the pressurized fluid from said sourcepasses solely through said fluid connection means and said jet pump andsaid stomach contents passes solely through said tube.

5. Medical apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said valve meansincluding a spool element having spaced lands mounted in an extendedbore closed on one end in said handle,

drilled passage means extending through said handle and adapted tocommunicate the bore and said fluid passage means, and registering withat least one of said lands,

the width of said land adjacent said drilled passage means beingsubstantially equal to the diameter of said drilled passage means.

6. Medical apparatus as claimed in claim 5 including resilient means insaid bore between the end of said spool element and the closed end ofthe bore.

7. Medical apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said trigger includesa U-shaped channel member pivotally mounted to said handle having thebottom surface of the U-shaped portion engaging said spool element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,812,765 11/1957 Tofflemire128276 2,851,213 9/1958 Swallert 230- 2,900,978 8/1959 Johannisson128276 2,902,708 9/1959 Riley 15-344 3,085,573 4/1963 Meyer et al.128-240 3,109,426 11/ 1963 Noonan et al 128--276 CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM,Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 15-330; 23092

